The present invention is directed to a carrier fixture for supporting body side panels during their transport along an assembly line. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a flexible carrier fixture that is capable of supporting a number of dissimilar body side panels during their transport along an assembly line by an overhead conveyor.
In manufacturing, particularly large-scale manufacturing, various components that make up an assembled apparatus are often transported along an assembly line. Such transport may occur simply by workers transporting such components by hand from one assembly line station to another. In larger or more complex manufacturing operations, however, such transportation of components is more typically accomplished by means of one or more conveyor lines. These conveyor lines may be of the floor mounted or overhead variety, or a combination thereof.
As manufacturing becomes more and more streamlined, manufacturers are increasingly attempting to build more than one product on a single assembly line. For example, automotive manufacturers desire to assemble dissimilar vehicles on the same assembly line and have, therefore, designed chassis and other components that can be used interchangeably in this manner.
It should be realized, however, that in the case of complex products such as automobiles and others, there will be a number of components that are unique to a particular model. In some cases, the number and/or significance of dissimilar components may be minimal, while in other cases, the number and/or significance of dissimilar components may be substantial. It is not hard to imagine that in the case of an automobile, for example, a significant number of components will be model specific.
Whatever the product in question, if dissimilar components are to be used, they must be moved along the assembly line. For example, the manufacturing of different automobile models on the same assembly line generally means that dissimilar parts such as engines, transmissions, suspension components, body panels, interior components, etc., must be transported along some portion of the assembly line. In order to maximize the efficiency of the assembly process, it is important that such components can be transported with as little change to the transport system (e.g., conveyor) as possible.
When assembling more than one model of automobile, it can be easily understood that at least certain dissimilar body panels are likely to be employed. This seems to be particularly true for body side panels. That is, where there instances in which two or more vehicles may share a hood or a trunk, for example, body side panels tend to be unique to a particular vehicle. Thus, when assembling more than one vehicle on the same assembly line, it is required that two or more different body side panels be transported by the same conveyor system. This poses a challenge both because there are generally only limited locations at/by which such panels can be supported, and because body side panels can be of significantly different shape and/or size. This problem is, of course, exacerbated when the vehicles being assembled on the same assembly line are significantly different—such when the product mix includes, for example, an SUV and a compact car.
Consequently, as such vehicle manufacturing processes become more flexible, there is a need for an apparatus that is capable of transporting dissimilar body side panels along the same assembly line without requiring time consuming and/or complicated modification when switching from one model to another. It is such an apparatus to which the present invention is directed.